Shimmering like pixie dust in the financial markets, Walt Disney’s enchanting stock performed magic on Tuesday, capturing investors’ hearts and wallets. The entertainment behemoth announced significant price hikes across its beloved streaming platforms, unveiling this news just a day before revealing their latest quarterly earnings. This strategic move propelled Disney’s share price to close at an impressive 2.5% increase, easily surpassing the 1% gain of the benchmark S&P 500 index.
**New Pricing Magic for Disney Streamers**
Disney fans, brace yourselves! The company’s flagship streamer, Disney+, will see a 25% price jump to $9.99 per month with ads, and the ad-free version will now cost $15.99, reflecting a 14% increase. Hulu isn’t left out of this spell either; it will match Disney+ with a $9.99 price tag for the ad-supported version and a $1 bump to $18.99 for the ad-free tier. ESPN+ will join the price hike parade with a $1 increase to $11.99 per month.
But that’s not all, folks! The cherished Trio bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ sees a $2-per-month hike, now at $16.99 for ads and a magical $26.99 without. The ad-supported Duo bundle will rise by $1 to $10.99, while the ad-free version of the Duo, including Disney+ and Hulu sans ESPN+, will remain steady at $19.99. All these changes will take effect on October 17th, so mark your calendars!
**Sprinkling Some Pixie Dust**
In an attempt to soften the blow of these price hikes, Disney highlighted a new feature—continuous, curated playlists on Disney+. This new addition aims to enchant users and keep them entertained while they navigate through the increased prices. The company doesn’t foresee a major defection of subscribers, believing the higher revenue will help mitigate the persistent losses from operating its streaming services.
Have you felt the magic in Disney’s latest moves? Share your thoughts in the comments below and let us know how you feel about these changes. Don’t forget to spread the magic with friends and family by sharing this article!
Source: [Eric Volkman, The Motley Fool](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-investors-were-excited-walt-221618818.html)
